2006-04-17

grook

"Grooks," invented by the Danish philosopher (and mathematician, and scientist, and author) Piet Hein, are short poems often with illustrations. For example (there is a picture for this one, not reproduced here):

TIMING TOAST
Grook on how to char for yourself
There's an art of knowing when.
Never try to guess.
Toast until it smokes and then
twenty seconds less.

It is pretty easy to find grooks floating around the Internet (try this Google query, for starters. Or, try this Amazon.com search.

Piet Hein also invented one of my favorite puzzles from my childhood. My Grandma Purdy had a cube puzzle called SOMA and I enjoyed playing with it, making the cube and other shapes. She let me have it some years back and I pull it out from time to time to play again.